Well, if you have been wondering where the Old Coyote has been; I’ve been burning the midnight oil and using all my spare time on getting the track plan for the spare bedroom done. I have come up with this basic idea along with some filler to show possible places for route 66 and some buildings (just to give me an idea, you know).
The Layout is set in Arizona during 1953 along sections of the AT&SF line running along side Route 66; the mainline curves are all 26” radius and the switches are #6’s and #4’s. I sure would appreciate any and all comment, questions, criticisms, suggests, kibitzes, or any thing you fine folks would like to pass my way on this plan as this is my first finished plan and I’m still very out in the woods.
I know a lot of people post track plans and it can get to be a bore so I want to thank the brave souls that take the time to look and comment ahead of time.
I think for what you have to work with, you got a great plan. Small bedrooms are tough for HO. You almost have enough room…almost!
I think there are some aspects might come down to personal flavor as everyone will have thier personal choices. I really dig the set up. I like the double main with the full loop. So you can still run alot of trains just for kicks which I truly enjoy. Plus I have found with smal layouts haveing double track main can also act like a small stageing yard for a heavy operations when you dont have room for a stageging yard, or even a good sized yard for tha tmatter. You can always “park” a couple of trains and bring them to when you need them
There are a couple things I migth do if it were mine, but these are a “personal thing” but maybe somehtign to kick around. I might wanna toss in another set of switches at the north end industrail section, (or at the top of the room) to add a spot where you run-around with your power or rolling sotck. Could add for another way to operate. As it is now, your limited to only coming one way…
Also, it looks like you have a full set of switches for both directions in cross over on one side, but only limted to one on the other (right side) I would have another so both sides can be both directions. Also help with the idea of parking trains. You can re-route other going both ways.
But those opinions are me. I get bored quick so I knew when I built mylayout, I wante alot of options. I realize there are prooablyt a few switches that aretn realistic, but it allows me to change it up every now and hen so I dont get too bored runnign the same each time.
Again Coyote I really dig it. I think you packed alot into a small space with out going over board.[:D]
what era are you modeling? and is it industrial or short line, ect? I take it you’re building it all on the one level? you could raise the outer level by the window, thereby having a grade, even a little bit would be good. Definitly agree with canazar, good info. DD
All good questions. I forgot to add that info to the original post but I’ve updated it now. To answer you… The Layout is set in Arizona during 1953 along sections of the AT&SF line running along side Route 66. It is currently a single level layout but there will be some transitions in grade if I can figure it out [:)]
Like the others above, I think the runarounds are a good idea.
Now for staging. One way you might acheive staging is to put in a turnout on the double main jut after it crosses the liftout to the left. It could go into a tunnel and with a 2-2 1/2% downgrade circling clockwise down to 8-10 inches lower than the layout when it gets to the right side of the drawing. you could have 3-4 reachable tracks.
I think it looks good, but it would “look” a lot more interesting if you could find a way to get some tracks crossing your bench less parallel to its edges. This is often a problem of perspective, and I know space is at a premium for you, but your efforts will be richly rewarded when your guests tell you how realistic it all is. One surefire way to achieve this effect, on you and others, is to have the tracks curving and moving at angles, just as they do in real life. The obsrvation has already been made that this now appears to be a largely flat layout. Adding some hillocks, some copses, a rock cut, whatever, will allow you to naturalize the right of way. Just a thought, maybe a bit early in your interest of improving the operational aspect.
I would greatly favour the suggestion that you find a spot for an engine servicing facility and turntable, although you do have a wye…good for you. I cannot tell what it is that appears to be a beam over the lower part of your bench, at the bottom of the diagram, but ther may be space outboard of that main, near where you would stand, somewhere along that bench, for an engine facility.
I think your time has been well spent…and yes, we did miss you. [:D]
I agree with the comment that angling the track so it isn’t parallel with the benchwork will creat the illusion of more size. When everything runs parallel and perpendicular, the eye can easily gauge the actual size.
I can’t enlarge the plan enough to read the measurements but it looks to me like the peninsula is running across the width rather than the length of the room. You could make a longer peninsula if you rotated it 90 degrees but that would reduce the radii of the curves leading out of the peninsula. That is a tradeoff only you can decide. I like the fact that your mainline is fairly simple, a double track oval. I’ve seen too many plans with convoluted mainlines which look cartoonish and toylike. Yours should look more like a real railroad when operating.
the reason it doesn’t enlarge when clicked is the picture is not landscape format , in other words the picture is higher than it is wide . i don’t know why the forum software only expands landscape pics but that’s the way it works
just curious … is there actually a wye on the prototype in the area you’re modeling ?
Arizona will give you some good opportunities for scenicking–the Santa Fe runs through everything from rocky desert to high mountains (the Williams-Flagstaff area), and some of the scenery is really impressive. I’d join in with the others with a suggestion of using some gentle curves to eliminate the track running parallel to the edges. Actually, in a few spots in Arizona, the Santa Fe mainline splits and is not always running parallel. You might think of that, also–some mainline separation. But it looks like a pretty workable track-plan to me. Don’t be surprised if you change a few things as you build it–most of us do.
Good luck, and keep us posted, okay?
PS–this monts TRAINS magazine has a pretty good article on the Santa Fe/Route 66 mainline through Arizona and New Mexico. If you don’t have the mag, you might want to pick it up for some ideas.
Tom [:D]
I agree with the posts concerning a runaround track and angling the track. The only suggestion I would make is the lower right yard. If you didn’t square off the benchwork and angled it, you could curve the yard tracks to gain a bit more length and cut down on some of the parallel and perpendicular lines.
I really like the concept though, you’ve squeezed alot of railroading into a bedroom.
I was puzzled because I started a rework of grandcoyote’s trackplan for a suggestion.
Then it seemed to disappear. But the reason was because apparently identical topics were started on both “general discussion” and “layouts and layout building.”
